Monday, January 28, 2013

I must start today's post by apologizing for NOT posting anything in such a long time. The arthritis in my back makes it difficult to sit at the computer to get a post up, and other than a bit of crocheting, also makes it difficult to craft. So far we have not found a medication that helps, well...except to make me fall asleep or grow a beard!

So, enough info about my personal life that you probably didn't need, on to what's been going on for these many months! Where to begin? I know, at the thrift store, my favorite place!

I have managed to get my hands on 2 very large bags of yarn, from Goodwill, for about $30. Between the two bags, I ended up with about $75 worth of good usable yarn! From my favorite thrift store(EVERYTHING is a quarter unless otherwise marked)I have been able to find a lot of vintage sewing patterns, embroidery patterns and lovely books for both. The best find though is the 1960 McCall's Patterns Home Catalog...and that was free because its a magazine! So beautiful, the illustrations and the colors! I haven't had a chance yet to get some photographs, but I will hopefully be feeling up to it in the next few days.

Other than my thrift store finds, I have found many things just cruising around on garbage day. I know, I know, some of you are sitting there thinking, "gross! she goes through people's garbage Um...NO. I never go through actual bags of garbage. the things I find are usually out next to the bags, or visible in boxes. It is something I've always done, that most of my family has done for as long as I can remember. Essentially, people throw out things that have lots of life left in them, and I try to rescue these items to either refurbish or re-purpose. My finds to date: 4 PowerWheels ride-on toys(all work and needing minor repair or a new battery), about 12 bags of clothing/shoes, most of which was for children, don't fret, they were in clear or almost clear bags and it was obvious what was in them. Also, one of the homes that I picked them up from actually started labeling the bags so I could take the clothing. Most of it was girl stuff(I have a boy)so I sorted the usable from the rags and gave the clothing/shoes to a few families in need. I have found some very nice small furniture pieces. A couple of vacuum cleaners that work great(they just needed to be cleaned)and now I don't have to lug one up or down stairs when I clean. On one excursion I found a large bag of nearly unused fabric, as well as some very nice business type clothing that fits my sister who will be needing such attire for her upcoming intership.

There was also a find that makes me sad. In a box on one of my "picks", I found old family photos. And I mean old, many are from the 40s, including a wedding album from 1949. I'm not sure why these things were out for the trash, and I've tried to find the family who they belong to, but I just don't have the money to pay to find them and quite honestly, not knowing the circumstances surrounding why they were in the trash in the first place makes me hesitant to find them. I did notice that some photos seemed to have some water damage, and of course everything has a slight musty smell, so I'm guessing that they assumed nothing was salvageable. I have looked into a few ways to get rid of the mustiness so I'm pretty sure then can be fixed.

Although I don't know the family in the photographs, the photos are still quite beautiful and if I can not find the family, I'll probably display them somewhere in my home simply for the vintage-ness of them. What I find weird is that my mom suggested I sell them....what?!?! Who buys photos of people they don't know? So I got to searching about THAT. Turns out, people really do buy old or vintage photos of people they don't know. Who would have though? I have a rule though about the things I find....if I put money into it, as in refurbish, re-purpose or what have you, then I will sell it for what I've spent on it. Otherwise, I donate what I know I can't use or don't need.

So, I may not have been able to sit and craft as much as I'd like, but I have been busy with thrifting and picking! My hubby finally got the bookshelves built for me in the library/craft room and has been helping me with the heavy lifting to get everything cleaned up and organized.

I will be taking lots of photos in the next few days and getting them posted. Crafting and posting will be commencing again soon! I fully plan to show you how unorganized and messy my library/craft room is....and how it looks occasionally when I manage to keep it clean and put together!